STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Listen: President Obama Makes Hilarious Request for J.R. Smith on Congratulatory Phone Call to Cavs

Too funny.

It's tradition for the U.S. president to offer a congratulatory phone call to winning championship teams.

But after saluting LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for becoming the first team in NBA Finals' history to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the league title, President Obama made sure to make a special request to Cavs coach Tyronn Lue over the phone Thursday. 

And it was hilarious.

"Tell J.R. and everybody to put on a shirt, though," Obama said. "You can't be just walking around without a shirt, though."

"OK, I definitely will," Lue responded laughing.

"Like a whole week..." the commander-in-chief continued. "Now Shumpert's taking off his shirt, Kyrie's taking off his shirt. C'mon, man!"

Ha!

Listen to their whole exchange here.

Of course, President Obama is referring to shooting guard J.R. Smith, who celebrated the Cavs' championship victory shirtless.

Whether it was partying in a Las Vegas nightclub Sunday night into the wee hours of Monday morning, arriving in Cleveland's John Hopkins International Airport or turning up at the Cavs' parade and championship rally in front of 1.3 million fans Wednesday, J.R. did it all shirtless this week.

This video actually sums it up.

And just as President Obama alluded to, J.R. had teammates, Iman Shumpert and Kyrie Irving, going shirtless during the Cavs' championship parade and rally too.

During his phone call to Lue, Obama said he hopes to have the Cavs at the White House to formally recognize their title win before he leaves office.

Just imagine if J.R. shows up shirtless there...

Nah, he wouldn't, but it's J.R. Smith we're talking about here. You never know.

BET Sports News — Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports, including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes.

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.